Dumbing down, making Aspies left out for being intelligent

[StuMan]

Hi all,

I feel this picture realtes to the current world a lot and how I feel. I notice day in day out that everything we say and do has to be dumbed down to suit the current dumb people of society. I notice as an aspie that if I point out something intelligent to them they get all upset and feel criticized and offended. Yet what I said was what I learnt during my years of growing up

It is like people using a calculator for basic maths like 1+1 and when you do it in your head fast in front of them they get all offended.

I fail to understand why the current world is getting dumbed down. There is nothing wrong the old tried and tested way or the hands on and hard work approach.

Anyone else notice this or is it just me? Why don't people like it when I see things differently?

23473090_1575702715806846_2243985030131740077_n

• StuMan
• Nov 14, 2017

 

[Suzanne]

Oh yes!

As for your excellent example with a calculator, I am the one who has to use it; albeit, not with the literal example you gave; but on avarage, I am terrible with mathamatics; so hubby and I play a game. And I try to be faster than him using my trusty calculator and sometimes I am and sometimes I am not. He, is not a wizard with maths, but far far exceeds me and he is an nt. I do not feel at all offended that I have to use a calculator and he doesn't. May the "best man win" lol

But, being a woman, I do find that some men shield away from what I say and even try to debunk my reasoning and it takes a lot of inner strength to not call them out.

 

[xudo]

The picture you posted is somewhat different to what you wrote. The picture is about people being 'emotionally weak' and being 'offended by everything' - I'd say that's different from talking about people being dumbed down, using calculators for simple addition and being offended by those who are seemingly more intelligent.

However, I can sort of see what you mean. People do seem to be put off if you know more than they do about things, especially if they like to think they are very knowledgeable about said topic.

 

[dragoncat16]

I have seen university physics students pulling out a calculator for simple calculations that could be done in one's head. I was in a music group whose members were fascinated by my ability to do mental arithmetic more quickly and more accurately than someone using a calculator for the same calculations (using a calculator requires the correct buttons to be pushed whereas I can easily just visualise the numbers in my head). Before that, I didn't realize that everyone couldn't do that.

What you say is absolutely true. I took my first degree in physics in the 90s and it was challenging but I ultimately did well. The expectations on university physics students at present are much less than in my time as a student. Keep in mind that we're talking about physics here, which is supposed to be one of the most difficult subjects. If a student wants a university degree, they could always take another subject, but no, there are so many students wanting to take physics, and because the universities are so desperate for students and the resulting revenue, they let unqualified applicants enter the degree programs. This puts pressure on the teaching staff to "dumb down" what they teach and, because of fear of student complaints, they are also forced to assign less homework as well.

It is a terrible situation. People graduating with a PhD now, at least in the UK, are actually less qualified than those who earned their BSc 10 or more years ago. But they have the letters behind their names.

That isn't even the worst of it. People who are training to be doctors are allowed to take the exam multiple times in order to qualify to treat patients. Would you like to be under the care of a surgeon who barely passed the exam on the fifth try? Engineers and architects, i.e. people who design buildings, bridges, airplanes, and other vehicles are allowed into degree programs when they really shouldn't be, and then their training is dumbed down to make sure the schools get the revenue from admitting and retaining a sufficient number of applicants.

People in the academic profession who are actually competent and knowledgable are being pushed out in favour of those of less ability who are nevertheless better-liked by the students (mostly because they don't bother to assign them any homework at all).

Yes, the world is being dumbed down, and it is not only terrible for those of high ability, but it is dangerous, when you think that the students who are being so coddled and hand-held today are going to be tomorrow's doctors, engineers, and designers of dangerous weapons. Who cares whose finger is on the big red button when the button itself could be faulty due to bad design because of all the dumbing down that's going on in the world?

 

[Mr Allen]

I've had this problem for years, I recently had an official IQ test at the local Autism centre, I don't know what the IQ score was and I'll probably never find out, but the lady did say I was one of the best she'd worked with.

My point is that on various forums ever since I was diagnosed in October 1999, I've been called "retarded" and worse, by clueless morons.

There's a lot of that about IMO.

 

[OkRad]

The best you can do is surround yourself with smart people, even if it's only online. I am not being elitist. Ignorance is dangerous! People die from others' ignorance every single day. Every minute.

 

[onlything]

I do. For years even I would dumb myself down uncounsciously or ignore my own opinions so that I wouldn't 'make waves'. It's pointless. Idiots are idiots but it's ignorant, narrow-minded idiots that are the worst.

 

[vangelis]

You can't argue with idiots because they try to drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

 

[Bolletje]

I used to be teased relentlessly for my vocabulary and my unusual (for my age) interests. These days I just choose to surround myself with people that like me for who I am. Problem pretty much solved.

 

[FreeDiver]

Yes, the world is being dumbed down, and it is not only terrible for those of high ability, but it is dangerous, when you think that the students who are being so coddled and hand-held today are going to be tomorrow's doctors, engineers, and designers of dangerous weapons. Who cares whose finger is on the big red button when the button itself could be faulty due to bad design because of all the dumbing down that's going on in the world?

Perhaps being dumbed down is not such a bad thing, now that you put it in this context. If that Big Red Button is faulty when it's needed. That would have prevented World War III from happening.

 

[Ragnahawk]

Hi all,

I feel this picture realtes to the current world a lot and how I feel. I notice day in day out that everything we say and do has to be dumbed down to suit the current dumb people of society. I notice as an aspie that if I point out something intelligent to them they get all upset and feel criticized and offended. Yet what I said was what I learnt during my years of growing up

It is like people using a calculator for basic maths like 1+1 and when you do it in your head fast in front of them they get all offended.

I fail to understand why the current world is getting dumbed down. There is nothing wrong the old tried and tested way or the hands on and hard work approach.

Anyone else notice this or is it just me? Why don't people like it when I see things differently?

23473090_1575702715806846_2243985030131740077_n

• StuMan
• Nov 14, 2017

Commercial model robots versus business model robots. Analogy

 

[Ragnahawk]

I do. For years even I would dumb myself down uncounsciously or ignore my own opinions so that I wouldn't 'make waves'. It's pointless. Idiots are idiots but it's ignorant, narrow-minded idiots that are the worst.

mm wrong.
Throwing labels around like idiot is the wrong idea. Nobody improves from being identified as such. If you love knowledge than pursue possibility. With one word: compassion.

 

[OrSomething]

What truth is offensive? Are you sure that the offensive things you believe are the truth, or are they just your opinion? Is "watering down" just another word for being respectful?

I find the opposite: that society tends to put too much emphasis on intelligence and knowledge, when what we should be focusing on is kindness and caring. Some people are less intelligent than others. Some people may struggle with things that seem basic to you. But they shouldn't be condemned or looked down on or called dumb because of it. Instead, we should treat all people with respect, regardless of their intelligence or ability to do things. Ignorance isn't dangerous. What is dangerous is prejudice and intolerance.

 

[OlLiE]

i'm not sure that the human race has actually become inherently less intelligent
less disciplined, yes
been told they are great when achieving trivial things, yes

so people have a false sense of arrogance about there abilities,
and are upset when someone points out that they are not as smart as they think they are

when considering large numbers, most things are spread on a 'normal' curve
so there are a very few very highly intelligent people, a very few very highly stupid people, and the majority of people are somewhere in-between, with the largest number of people just being 'average' in the middle of the curve

so there is also subjective aspect to the perception, the smarter you are, logically the more you will find people are stupid, when actually they are just 'average'

by the way, to be successful, not only do you need to be smart, but you need to be able to sell your ideas, otherwise its like having a car without gas, personally i'm not good at the selling part

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

What truth is offensive? Are you sure that the offensive things you believe are the truth, or are they just your opinion? Is "watering down" just another word for being respectful?

I find the opposite: that society tends to put too much emphasis on intelligence and knowledge, when what we should be focusing on is kindness and caring. Some people are less intelligent than others. Some people may struggle with things that seem basic to you. But they shouldn't be condemned or looked down on or called dumb because of it. Instead, we should treat all people with respect, regardless of their intelligence or ability to do things. Ignorance isn't dangerous. What is dangerous is prejudice and intolerance.

Intelligence itself is a house with many levels.

Especially social intelligence which we may not value.

But treating people with kindness and respect isnt like flicking a switch.

It's a challenge that takes considerable effort. Not always with a perceptible reward.

Perhaps in the eygptian myth when you die, your heart is weighed against that of a feather....

Being kind lightens the heart.

 

[Ragnahawk]

INTELLIGENCE. A human construct. Who get's to judge what is intelligent? Apparently people who lack compassion and understanding. Just look at Autismspeaks. Prime example.

 

[megacomic]

Isn't it weird that most of the people that tease us and call us disabled have lower IQs than we do?

 

[Judge]

Isn't it weird that most of the people that tease us and call us disabled have lower IQs than we do?

The tyranny of many social majorities is often predicated only on large numbers. Not large brains.

Being different doesn't necessarily mean being deficient.

 

[ginarex]

There is this biological process called Neoteny: it means that modern humans have been "dumbing down" due to evolutionary pressures to do so: humans used to live in wild environments that require being very intelligent, clever, fast-thinking and observant and to have excellent memory for a vast amount of detail. About 10,000 years ago this changed due to agriculture and domestication of animals. Humans also domesticated themselves and became less intelligent, more tame, obedient and dependent. Today we see extreme psychological neoteny occurring: people are more "childlike": emotional, irrational, less independent, unable to function as adults.

 

[Buzzerfly]

This is very true. NTs are on a perpetual imperfection loop. Since birth, we are taught to exist as if we are imperfect. Then, simultaneously, the world dumbs us down. NTs learn to hide this imperfection, which was a lie to begin with. Some would kill you if you accidentally exposed it. Others would just be sad. So, it's very wise to dumb down if you can, when you feel unsafe.